Deerwalk Blog

Yala - Calculators and Trackers

Yala is an innovative member portal that provides a variety of tools and resources for individuals to actively participate in the management of their own health. Two Yala features, calculators and trackers, provide interactive tools to help you recognize health risks and track your progress toward better health.

Calculators:

Calculators in Yala help you identify specific health risks you may have. None of the calculators are meant to replace an evaluation by your healthcare provider. Discussing the calculator results with your doctor can help you identify a treatment plan to reduce your risks. Calculators included in Yala are:

1. BMI Calculator Body mass index (BMI) is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men, women and children over the age of 2 years. The BMI Calculator allows you to quickly determine your BMI. Body Mass Index is used to indicate if you are overweight, normal or underweight. Individuals who are overweight are at increased risk for health problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

2. Alcohol Dependency Calculator Alcoholism is associated with significant social and health issues. The Alcohol Dependency Calculator determines whether or not you have a possible alcohol dependency. Questions related to your use of alcohol are included in this calculator. Based on the answers you give a score is calculated. A total score of 8 or more indicates potentially harmful drinking behavior.

3. Nicotine Dependency Calculator Nicotine is found in tobacco and causes addiction to smoking or any other use of tobacco. Excessive use of tobacco degrades the health condition and also leads to serious diseases like cancer. Knowing your addiction level can help you decide on the best approach to quit/curtail use of tobacco. The Nicotine Dependency Calculator determines your level of nicotine addiction. A score of 6 or greater indicates high nicotine dependency.

4. Stress Management Calculator Stress is common in everyone and happens due to various reasons. Too much stress is very unhealthy for you and in turn leads to poor health and affects your thinking. Stress should be managed in healthy way. This calculator helps you find your stress level so you may take sound approach to manage your stress.

5. Heart Attack Risk Calculator This calculator is based on specific conditions research has shown to be associated with increased risk of having a heart attack within the next 10 years. It is helpful in identifying your individual risk factors.

Trackers:

Trackers help you keep track of different health related activities. They allow you to set goals and record your progress toward meeting those goals. Trackers included in Yala are:

1. Weight Tracker The Weight Tracker lets you set your weight goal, and assists you in tracking your progress. You can view your weight history in both chart and graphical displays.

2. Blood pressure tracker With this tracker you can log blood pressure readings taken at different places, such as the doctor's office or at home, in order to reach your target blood pressure. This tool allows you to track systolic and diastolic pressures. You can view your blood pressure history in both chart and graphical displays.

3. Blood sugar tracker This tool helps you manage, track and monitor your blood sugar level. It allows you to set target blood glucose ranges, view history and identify numbers that are out of range.

4. Activity/exercise tracker This tool allows you to track exercises, daily activities and view results. It also provides simple graphical displays so you can monitor the progress. This tool helps you to manage your workout routine.

5. Fluid Intake Tracker Too much or too little fluid in the body can degrade the health condition. The fluid intake needs to be monitored. This tool helps to track and monitor fluid intake. You may set a goal and work towards achieving it with the help of this tool.

6. Steps Tracker With this tracker you can record your daily steps and view history. This tool also provides conversion chart which converts different activities into approximate steps.

7. Asthma Action Plan The Asthma Action Plan is for the people who have asthma. It acts as a roadmap for what you should do to control your asthma based on asthma signs and symptoms. The Asthma Action Plan should be based on the treatment plan you and your doctor have developed. There are three zones in asthma action plan: green zone, yellow zone and red zone. If your asthma is well controlled then you are in the “green zone”. If your asthma is not totally controlled and you need a controller medication adjustment then you are in the "yellow zone". If you're experiencing severe asthma symptoms and your asthma is poorly controlled then you are in the "red zone". “Red zone” mean you need immediate medical attention.

[Thanks to Jo Anne Hunt and Ashay Thakur for contributing to this article.]